Combination bag and apron



Dem 1954 G. P. JOHNSON COMBINATION BAG AND APRON Filed July 3, 1951 m T w W.

United States Patent COMBINATION BAG AND APRON Gloria P. Johnson, Oak Park, 111.

Application July 3, 1951, Serial No. 234,998

Claims. (Cl. 150-1) My invention relates to a combination bag and apron which has a wide variety of uses and applications as a household item.

In analyzing the activities of housewives or homernakers, it becomes apparent that the functions of collecting, carrying, and dispersing are continually reoccurring in various combinations. A real need exists for an article of manufacture that will enable the housewife to efiieiently perform the activities requiring the various combinations of these functions.

As an example, doing personal laundry involves one of the many combinations of these functions that are present in the everyday activities of housewives. In the past, the clothes to be laundered have been collected from various places either by the housewife carrying a clothes basket from place to place, or by centrally locating the clothes basket and carrying the laundry to the basket. After the clothes are thus collected they are carried in the basket to the laundry room where they are laundered. After being cleaned they are carried to the drying area and are hung upon the clotheslines to dry. In dispersing the clothes on the lines or gathering them after they are vdry the housewife must either centrally locate the clothes basket and travel back and forth between the lines and the basket, or carry the basket along the lines as she hangs up or collects the clothes.

I have found that using a clothes basket or any of the other devices that have been developed to assist the housewife in collecting, carrying, and dispersing the laundry, of necessity, creates a great deal of wasted effort.

In order to permit the efiicient performance of the functions discussed 1 have provided a combination bag and apron, formed with a large pouch, which may be worn about the waist as an apron to facilitate collection and dispersion of articles and which may be quickly converted into a drawstring bag for conveniently carrying the articles.

Thus, in utilizing my invention in doing personal laundry one may use it as either as a drawstring bag or apron in collecting the soiled clothing and convert it into a bag if necessary to carry the clothes to the laundry. After the clothes are washed they are carried to the drying area :in the bag and then dispersed upon the lines and later collected from the lines using my invention as an apron.

The utility of such a combined bag and apron is by no means limited to use in laundering. A great number of household activities require carrying, collecting and dispersing. If there are young children in the family the mother must frequently collect the toys that have been scattered about the nursery, house or yard, and here again my combination bag and apron may be used to great advantage. As a further example, the housewife can utilize my invention as an apron in collecting vegetables from the garden and then easily carry the produce to the house in my invention used as a drawstring bag. These examples are merely illustrative and do not pretend to inlcjlude all of the many uses to which my invention may e ut.

I have found that one of the most successful ways to use my invention is to wear it as an apron throughout any period in the day during which the housewife is actively engaged in the many and various activities connected with the maintenance of a home. Thus, the large pouch is readily available to have articles inserted therein for transportation to another place at the convenience of the wearer, while at the same time the wearers clothing is afforded the usual protection of an apron. Also, if at tape 24 secured "ice any time the wearer wishes to transport any large quantity of articles, or heavy articles, it is simple to remove the apron and readily convert it into a drawstring bag for convement carrying.

Since my invention is to be used at times as an apron, t is highly desirable to provide smaller individual pockets into which small articles, or articles which are to be kept separate, may be inserted and carried, and I have provlded such pockets. As one of the many examples of the utility of these pockets, the housewife may use them to hold clothespins when she is hanging out or collecting the laundry.

My novel combination bagand apron may also be put to use during the interval which occurs between laundry days as a handy laundry bag or container to be hung in the closet, for example, for the accumulation of soiled linens as they are discarded, the auxiliary pockets being put in use by inserting therein smaller articles of soiled clothing, such as handkerchiefs, lingerie, hosiery, and other things which it is desirable tokeep separated from the general laundry.

The objects and advantages above mentioned and other objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention in condition to be used as an apron;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the top of my combination bag and apron in condition ,to be used as a drawstring bag;

gig. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1; an

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my invention formed into a drawstring bag.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the body of my novel combined bag and apron consists of a front section 10 and a rear section 12, which are sewn together in a manner hereinafter described to form a pouch indicated by the numeral 14. At the top of rear section 12 a casing 16 is formed by folding back the upper'edge of section 12 and sewing the folded back portion to the rear section as indicated by stitching 18-. As seen in Fig. 2, the folded back portion is doubled back along itself so that stitching 18 will form a hem that is both neat and strong. Cords 20 and 22 pass through the casing 16. v

The upper edge of front section 10 has a reinforcing thereto as by stitchings 26 extending longitudinally of the tape. This tape 24 carries a plurality of male fastener members 28, which are securely attached to the tape. A second length of reinforcing tape 30 is attached to the front section 10 as by stitchings 32 and is spaced from the upper edge of the front section.

.This tape 30 carries a plurality of female fastener members 34 securely attached to the tape and disposed along the tape in position to receive the male fastener members 28. When, as indicated in Fig. 2, .the fastener members are in engagement a second casing 36 is formed along the upper edge of front section 10, through which cords 20 and 22 may be passed when my invention is to be u ed as a r wstri g b g.

I have provided a plurality of pockets, indicated by the numeral 38, on the front of my combined bag and apron. These pockets are formed by securing a length of material 40 to the front section 10 along the lower and side edges of the length 40 and by sewing the length 40 to the front section on several lines intermediate the side edges. To provide added fullness to the pockets 38 I have gathered the length of material 40 along the bottom edge at spaced intervals. In order to maintain the pockets in a substantially closed position an elastic band 42 is sewn to the length 40 while under tension as by stitches 44. Thus, when the length 40 is sewn to the front section 10 the elastic band 42 will gather the material of length 40 to substantially close the pockets 38.

In assembling my combined bag and apron I have found it convenient to form the front and rear sections 10 and 12 of a single length of material. Practically any of the known materials such as cloth, canvas, plas tics, etc. may be used to construct my combined bag and apron, but if any of the anticipated uses involve handling wet or soiled articles it is advisable to use an easily-cleaned -waterproofmaterial, or-to-provideawaterproof liner for the pouch. After the length of material 40 and tapes 24 and 30 have been sewn onto the front section .l0,-of :this .single length of material andtthe casing ltirhas been formed with the cords.- 20 and 22 therein, the front and rear sections;are stitched together along their side edges as shown in Fig. 1 at.4.6;

As ;seen:-in Fig. 1, which shows my invention in condition-foruse as an apron, the cords20and22'are folded back alongvthe casing 16 externally of: the casing and knotted at-their ends to form continuous cords. In the positionshown in Fig. 1, the cords can be tied around apersons. waist and:the pouch 14.and pockets 38 are available. for/convenient use. With this arrangement of the cords the apron may be convertedtoa bag. either while being worn or While .removed by folding the upper edge of front section 10.over the. portions of cords 20 and 22 running externally along the casing 14 to form the casing 36 and then snapping the male fastener members'28 into the female fastener members 34 to retain the cords 20 and 22 in the casing 36. The drawstring bag thus formed may be closed (asseen in Fig. 4) by pulling-the: cords in opposite directions.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that I. have provided an extremely versatile combination bagand apron that will materially assist the housewife in a great numberof'her activities around the home. My combination bag and apron may be worn-as an apron to facilitate collecting and dispersion and may be easily converted into a drawstring bag to permit convenient carrying.

It is to be understood-that my invention is not limited to the details shown and described'but may'assume numer ous forms and includes all varitions, modifications and equivalents coming within the scope' of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a combination bag and apronconsisting of a pouchformedfrom a single foldedlength ofmaterial and sewn at the sides thereof whereby the bottom of the pouch is continuous material, first and second casings formed on the open edge of said pouch, releasble fastening means secured'to said. material for openingand closing said second casing, and cord means passing through both of said casings and having the ends tied together to. serve as a drawstring and'to serve as an apron tie string when said cord means is removed from said second. casing. after releasing said fastening means.

2. As an article of manufacture, a combination bag and apronconsisting of a pouch formed-from a single folded length ofv materialand sewn at the sides thereof whereby the bottom of thepouch is'continuous material, a. first casing formed on a part of the openedge of said pouch,- a first fastening means secured to another part offsaid'open edge, a second fastening means secured to said .pouch. and spaced away from said open. edge, said first and second fasteningmeans being adapted to engage each other to .form .a second casing, and, cords passing through both of. saidcasings to'serve as drawstrings and to serve as apron tie strings when said cords are removed from said second casing after disengaging said first and second fastening means.

3. As an article of manufacture, a combination bag and apron-consistingof-- a pouchformed from a single folded length of material and sewn at the sides thereof whereby the bottom of the pouch is continuous material, a first casing formed on a part of the open edge of said pouch, a first fastening member secured to another part of said open edge, a second fastening member secured to said pouch and spaced away-from said open edge, said fasteningmembersbeingadaptedto, engage each other to form a second casing, a length of material-secured to said pouch to formv auxiliary Pockets, and, cords passing through said first casing, said'cords having portions ex tending externallyn along said; first casing and portions extending beyond the ends of said first casing, whereby the article serves .asadrawstringbag-when said external portions of said cords pass through both of said casings and serves as an apron when said external portions of said cords are removed from said second casing after disengaging said fastening members, the;p.ortions of. the cords extending beyond; the: ends. of; saidrfirst casing acting as apron tie strings.

4; As an-Varticleof manufacture,,a: combination: bag and: apron consisting; of alength 10f. material transversely folded intermediateits:..ends and-'sewnrat1the.:sides=thereof to; form a;po.uch-,. a;fir.st':casing formed;on;one end-of said lengthvof material, first :fastening members secured :to the other; end: of; said ,length. of. material, second fastening members secured to saidrlengthuof material and'spaced from said 'otherend, a second casing-formed 'by engaging said :first andtsecond fasteningmembers, and':cords.:passing throughboth-of said casings -to..-serve as drawstrings and to. serve as apron tie strings when .said cordsare removed from saidsecondxcasing after; disengagingsaid fasteningxmembers.

5. Asian articleof: manufacture, a combination bag and' apron consistingof afirst length ofmaterial, a: sec.- ond-tshorter length? of material, saidsecond "length being secured :to said first length alongtheedges ofth'ree sides of said secondlength-to form a pocket between. said lengths, said. first length being folded back uponitself and sewn along the side-edges to nforma pouch, afirst casing formed on a part of th'e. open edgeof said pouch, a1 first fastening means secured'to-another part of said open edge, a second fastening means secured to said pouch and spaced away from/said open edge, saidfirst and secondfastening meansbeing-adapted to engage'each other to form a secondcasing, and cords passing through said casings to-serve-asdrawstrings .whenthe article-is usedas a bag; said cords being'released from said second casing when said first and second fastening means are disengagedto act as apron strings when-thearticle is'used as an-apron.

References Cited in the file of ;this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,480 Gore Jan. 14, 1919 "2050,549 Wilmer Aug-1'1, 1936 2,437gl49' Baxter Mart-2,1948 2,632,517 Schwartzman-et al-. Dec. 5, 1950 2,565,283 Thockmorton Aug. 21, 1951 

